Auctioned Off
by exploding-penguins
Summary: The war has been won, but the aftermath has left Konoha almost completely broke. What better way to solve the village's financial crisis than to auction off Konoha's most eligible bachelors?
1. The Mission

**Hello, everyone! This is a collaboration between myself and the lovely MissKluck! Go check out her work, she's a great writer. **

**We don't own Naruto.**

* * *

It was a bright and beautiful day in Konoha. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Tsunade was in a drunken rage.

"Those damn elders are pissing me off! I've got enough to worry about without them on my ass about that Uchiha brat! I know the village is broke!" The blonde haired woman yelled, reaching for her sake.

"Tsunade-sama, please calm down!" Shizune exclaimed. "Drinking and yelling isn't going to solve anything!"

Tsunade let out an angry sigh and put her head in her hands. "I know, I know. We need to find a solution, and quickly. The village can't go on like this for much longer," the hokage said, shaking her head slightly in an attempt to clear it.

Shizune walked over to her superior, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She knew that Tsunade was stressed, and for good reason. Quite frankly, everyone in the village was under a lot of stress. The Fourth Shinobi World War had come to an end a month prior, and that was definitely something to be happy about. However, the leaf village had been almost completely decimated in all of the fighting. Rebuilding the village, as well as helping neighboring villages rebuild, left Konoha almost completely broke.

Konoha wasn't the only village that suffered. Nations all over were suffering, so there was a lot of competition for missions. Because missions were so few and far between, Konoha was having trouble supporting itself in the aftermath of the war. The village elders were far from happy because of this, and were constantly pestering Tsunade to come up with a solution. Not only were they pestering the hokage about a solution for the village's money problems, but they also wanted her to decide on a suitable punishment for a certain Uchiha.

Tsunade sat up, took a sip of her sake and eyed her attendant. "I understand the elders being upset about our financial situation, because I am too. What I don't understand is their ongoing grudge against Sasuke Uchiha. The brat has done some very questionable things, but he more than made up for it during the war, and now he's back. I put the kid on probation, and that should be enough," the blonde said.

"I agree, Tsunade-sama. However, Sasuke did betray the village and became an international criminal. Even if he is loyal now, many of the villagers still don't trust him," Shizune replied.

There was really nothing Tsunade could say to argue, because she knew Shizune was right. Sasuke did play a huge role in defeating Madara and saving the village. However, while most villagers appreciated his efforts and decided to forgive the Uchiha, others did not. Upon hearing of the Uchiha's return to the village and his lenient punishment, some villagers took it upon themselves to come up to her office and give her a piece of their mind. The elders were also enraged, and demanded that Tsunade come up with a second punishment.

"Those corrupt old bastards just make me so angry. Now that I know about the role they played in the Uchiha Massacre, I want to prosecute them so damn badly!" Tsunade screeched.

"You know you can't do that, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said glumly.

"Yeah, I know. It drives me crazy," the blonde replied with a scowl.

When Tsunade finally found out the truth about the Uchiha Massacre, her first instinct was to strip the elders of their position and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing she could do. The massacre had been ordered by the elders and approved by the third hokage himself. No laws had been broken, and her hands were tied. That realization made her feel sick to her stomach.

"So what are you going to do?" Shizune asked.

"Well, I need to find a way to bring our village out of debt, as well as find an appropriate punishment for Sasuke. I don't know what to do for either of those things," Tsunade replied.

Suddenly, the door to Tsunade's office burst open, revealing a certain blond haired knucklehead. "Yo, baa-chan!" Naruto greeted, shutting the door and strutting across the room.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" the hokage growled.

Naruto stopped in front of her desk and raised an eyebrow, pouting slightly. "What's the matter, baa-chan? You haven't gotten pissed about my calling you that for a while now. You going through menopause?"

Tsunade promptly grabbed her nearly empty sake bottle and chucked it at the blonde's head. Naruto yelped and ducked just in time before the bottle crashed against the door to the office. "What the hell!?" he screeched.

"Tsunade-sama, was that really necessary!?" Shizune exclaimed.

"Now is _not _the time to push my buttons," Tsunade seethed.

Shizune sighed and turned to Naruto, who had backed away slightly in fear. "I'm terribly sorry, Naruto-san. Tsunade-sama is under a lot of stress right now," she said apologetically.

"It's not your fault, nee-chan," Naruto replied, smiling at the brunette before turning back to Tsunade. "What are you so stressed about?"

"You know our financial situation, Naruto. The elders have been pressuring me to come up with a solution, as well as an additional punishment for Sasuke," Tsunade replied.

"He's already on probation until further notice. What else could they want?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"If they had their way, Sasuke would be dead or in prison. Unfortunately for them, there's no way in hell that'll happen, not after his actions during the war," Tsunade replied.

"Do you have any ideas in mind on how to solve this?" Shizune asked.

"I can help you come up with something! I mean, I _am _the hokage in training, after all," Naruto said with a grin.

"That you are," Tsunade smirked, "So tell me, what did you have in mind?"

The grin left Naruto's face, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, I'm actually not so sure. Whenever I needed extra cash, I'd sell something of mine. Too bad I don't have anything worth an arm and a leg!"

Tsunade suddenly froze, and a look of realization dawned on her face. Naruto and Shizune stared at the hokage, wondering what she could possibly be thinking.

"Naruto, you just gave me an idea," Tsunade said.

"I did?"

"He did?"

"Yes, he did. We can hold an auction," the hokage stated.

"An auction? But Tsunade-sama, what could we possibly have to auction off? The village no longer has anything of value," Shizune replied.

"Oh yes, we do. We have many young, handsome ninja. Ninja that are very eligible bachelors," Tsunade said, smirking.

"Wait a minute, you can't possibly be thinking-"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Konoha will hold a festival, and during that festival, we'll hold an auction. People will come from villages all over just for a chance to date our shinobi. The highest bidder will be the winner," she explained.

"Uh, baa-chan? I think this is all of the sake talking," Naruto said slowly.

"Yeah, probably. But that's beside the point. Not only will this help solve the village's money problems, but it'll solve our other problem too," Tsunade replied.

"What other problem?" Shizune asked.

"Sasuke, of course. I've decided that he'll be one of the ninja we auction off," Tsunade said.

"WHAT!? Hey, wait a minute! Sasuke may be a teme, but he's still my best friend. You can't just auction him off like that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm going to have to agree with Naruto-san. I don't see how this could possibly work," Shizune said, concerned.

Tsunade reached for her sake, but frowned upon remembering she'd thrown the bottle across the room. She really needed to reel in her temper. She looked up at Naruto and Shizune, entirely unconcerned. "Sasuke would never willingly go along with this, which is exactly why I'm making him do it. We bring in money for the village, Sasuke gets punished, and the elders get off my back. It's the perfect plan," Tsunade stated.

"You're seriously going to let Sasuke be auctioned off to some random girl?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I highly doubt we'll have to worry about just any girl getting their hands on him," Tsunade said with a smirk, thinking of a certain pink haired student of hers.

As if on cue, said pinkette and a blonde haired girl entered the office. "Tsunade-sama, Ino and I have a question about this patient- Oh, hey, Naruto!" Sakura greeted.

"Hey there, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan!" Naruto greeted back with a grin.

"Hello, you two. You have perfect timing," Tsunade said.

"We do? What's going on?" Ino asked.

"You two may want to take a seat," Shizune warned, pulling up two chairs for the girls.

The girls cautiously walked over and took a seat in front of Tsunade's desk, not knowing what to expect. Knowing Tsunade, it could be anything.

"I've come up with a solution to the village's financial problems," Tsunade stated.

"Really? That's great news! I know you've been really stressed about it lately," Sakura replied with a smile. "What did you come up with?"

"We're going to auction off Konoha's most eligible bachelors," she said simply.

The room immediately went silent. Sakura and Ino simply stared at their superior, wondering if they'd heard right.

"We're… what?" Ino asked, dumbfounded.

"Konoha is going to hold a festival, and people from far and wide are going to compete for a chance to date our shinobi. As punishment, one of these shinobi will be our very own Sasuke Uchiha," the hokage explained.

"Um, with all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I don't think this is-"

"That sounds like an _amazing _idea!" Ino exclaimed.

The pinkette looked over at her best friend, glaring daggers at the blonde. How could Ino possibly think this was a good idea? Sakura huffed and turned back to her master.

"No, it's not! We can't just auction off Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Why not? You're not jealous, are you?" Tsunade smirked.

Sakura immediately shut up, a blush rising to her cheeks. She hoped nobody noticed, but that hope was dashed as her master's smirk widened. "O-Of course I'm not jealous! I just feel that this is morally wrong!" she stuttered.

"Oh, lighten up, Sakura-chan! This could be fun! Who knows, maybe _you _could be the highest bidder for Sasuke-kun," Ino teased.

Sakura shook her head, trying to will her blush to go away and failing miserably. "I'm not bidding on _anyone,_" Sakura growled.

"Try not to be mad, Sakura-chan! I know it sounds a little crazy, but it's definitely not the worst punishment for Sasuke-teme," Naruto said, hoping to make Sakura feel better.

Ino nodded her head in agreement. "Naruto is right. Besides, you can deny it all you want, but you know having a chance to date Sasuke-kun is a dream come true for you," she said, smirking at her best friend.

The pinkette glared daggers at the blonde. "Shut. Up."

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but the decision has been made. Two weeks from now, we'll be holding our festival," Tsunade stated.

"But Tsunade-sama-!" Sakura shouted.

"No buts!" Tsunade barked, effectively silencing her student, before turning to Shizune.

"Shizune, I want you to make a list of the most eligible bachelors in Konoha, and tell them to come to my office immediately," she ordered.

Shizune nodded and bowed at her master. "Of course, Tsunade-sama," she said, immediately heading to the other side of the room to begin making her list.

The hokage turned back to her pupils. "I'm sure you two can figure out the answer to your question yourselves. You're smart girls. Go back to the hospital and see the rest of your patients. You're dismissed," she commanded.

Ino immediately got up and bowed. Sakura on the other hand stayed in her chair for a few moments, glaring at her master. When she came into the office to ask the hokage a simple question, she never expected to hear of this crazy scheme. She was shocked, disappointed, and quite frankly, jealous. Sakura slowly stood up and silently walked out of the office without another word, Ino following closely behind.

It didn't take long for Shizune to make out her list and send for Konoha's bachelors. All of the shinobi entered the room one by one, each wondering why they were summoned so suddenly.

"All right, before we begin, I'm going to take roll. Kakashi Hatake," Tsunade called.

"Aa."

"Sasuke Uchiha,"

"Hn."

"Shikamaru Nara,"

"Yep."

"Kiba Inuzuka,"

"Here!"

"Sai,"

"I'm here."

Satisfied, Tsunade folded her hands on her desk and regarded the shinobi in front of her, while Naruto and Shizune looked on in silence. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you here so suddenly. I'll make this quick. I have a mission for you all," she said.

"What kind of mission?" Kiba asked.

Tsunade went on to explain how the village had been having a financial crisis in the aftermath of the war, and how the village would be hosting a festival. She informed the shinobi of the auction and exactly what it entailed, as well as letting Sasuke know that participating would be the second part of his punishment. After she finished explaining everything, she sat back in silence, letting the information sink in.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke growled, incredibly annoyed. He couldn't believe this. He didn't want to be auctioned off to some annoying girl that he didn't even know. He had no interest in anyone, and he really didn't see that changing anytime soon. The only person he felt even slightly comfortable with winning the auction would be Sakura, and she'd seemed to be avoiding him like the plague recently.

"I'm very serious," Tsunade replied.

"There's no way in hell I'm doing this," the raven hissed.

"Listen up, Uchiha. I'm doing you a favor. If it was up to the elders, they'd have your head. You should be grateful it's this and not jail!" Tsunade boomed.

"Why would I want to date some random, annoying girl!?" Sasuke yelled.

"Because it'd be good for you! Maybe you can find yourself a nice wife and get to work on some Uchiha babies!" the blonde yelled back.

"Tch," was all the Uchiha said. He looked away, knowing there was nothing he could do or say to change the hokage's mind. Sure, he'd wanted to revive the Uchiha clan, but not like this. He wanted a strong, intelligent, kind woman to revive the clan with; not some stupid, weak village girl. He sighed to himself, resigning himself to his fate.

'_Who knows, maybe some good will come out of this,' _he thought.

"This whole thing is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"Question. Why isn't Naruto a part of this auction? He's the hokage in training. Wouldn't he be perfect for something like this?" Kiba asked.

Naruto grinned at the Inuzuka and shook his head. "Nope! I'm not a part of this auction because I've already got myself a woman!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Who would that be?" Kiba asked.

"None other than Hinata-chan!" the blond said, grinning from ear to ear.

"WHAT? You're dating Hinata-chan and neither of you told me!?" came Kiba's shocked reply.

"Wow, I'm surprised. I never thought dickless would actually get himself a girlfriend," Sai chimed in.

"HEY! What is it with you and the dick comments, you asshole!?"

Hoping to diffuse the situation before it escalated any further, Kakashi stepped forward and spoke up. "Alright, you guys. That's enough. I know you may not like this, but we need to make the best of it, and that includes getting along," he said calmly.

"Thank you, Kakashi. Pipe down, all of you. Also, Naruto. You will in fact be part of this auction," Tsunade said.

"What!? But I have a girlfriend already!" Naruto bellowed.

"Your girlfriend comes from the main house of one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. I'm sure she has enough money to outbid everyone else," Tsunade smirked.

"Well, that's greedy," Shikamaru muttered.

"Being philanthropic won't pay the bills," Tsunade retorted.

"Don't I get a say in this!?" Naruto screeched.

"No, you don't. This is a direct order to all of you, and an official mission. Two weeks from today, we'll be holding the festival, as well as the auction. The preparations are to begin immediately. You're all dismissed," the hokage said, leaving no room for argument.

The shinobi that had been summoned bowed to the hokage and left the room, except for Sasuke and Naruto. The Uchiha stood in front of Tsunade, Naruto, and Shizune, and glared daggers at all three of them. "I can't believe you're making me do this," he muttered.

"I can't believe you're still in my office," Tsunade retorted.

"Tsunade-sama, be nice!" Shizune scolded.

"Nice, my ass," Tsunade muttered.

Naruto immediately groaned in disgust. "I really don't want to think about your ass, baa-chan," he said, still bitter about being forced into this auction.

Tsunade growled and glared at the blond, beyond fed up with everyone. "That's it! Get the hell out of my sight, all of you!" she yelled.

Knowing better than to argue, the three other occupants of the room quickly shuffled out the room, not wanting to face the hokage's wrath.

Sasuke walked out of the hokage tower and into the direction of his apartment. He walked slowly, trying to let what had just happened sink in. So, he was going to be auctioned off and forced to go on a date with some random girl. Great. He supposed it wasn't as bad as going to jail, though the more he thought about it, jail may have been better than going on a date with some annoying girl. He'd certainly rather rot in a jail cell than have Karin try to seduce him all of the damn time. He could only hope that the woman who won the auction would be someone worth his time. Though with his luck, this was bound to end badly.

Sasuke sighed to himself as he made his way into his apartment. This would certainly be interesting.

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**Hope you enjoyed! What could possibly happen at the festival? Who will be the winning bidders? Stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite!**


	2. Let The Festivities Begin

**Hey, everyone! This is chapter two of my collaboration with the lovely MissKluck! Thanks for being with me every step of the way, girlie! Be sure to go and check out her work, and she's a fabulous writer. We hope you enjoy chapter two!**

**I don't own the Naruto series.**

* * *

It was the night before the festival, and preparations had been going swimmingly. Team 7, joined by Hinata, walked through Downtown Konoha, which was where the festival was to take place. Sakura gazed at the pretty lanterns and elaborate decorations that lined the streets, and smiled to herself. While she was still upset that Sasuke and her friends were to be auctioned off just to make a quick buck, she couldn't help but think that maybe the festival would be a good thing after all. It was hard not to think that way when she stopped to appreciate the work that went into preparing for it.

The sound of a certain blond haired knucklehead's voice dragged her out of her thoughts.

"Will you quit complaining already, you teme!?"

"No, I won't quit complaining. I can't believe I'm actually participating in this garbage," Sasuke grumbled.

"You've been bitching about it ever since you found out! You need to prepare yourself, because this is just another challenge in our rivalry!" Naruto declared.

"To think that you could possibly rival me in anything is laughable," Sasuke muttered.

"What was that!? This auction is going to determine who is better, once and for all!" the blond exclaimed.

Sakura was about to yell at both of them to shut the hell up, before Hinata chimed in.

"N-Naruto-kun, please calm down. You and Uchiha-san are b-both great shinobi," Hinata said quietly, hoping her boyfriend would calm down.

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the blond, as he felt a headache coming on. The raven was more than up for the challenge, and Naruto knew it. Even so, Sasuke still wasn't keen on having a bunch of girls ogle at him like some prize to be won.

Kakashi, who had been walking beside the teens silently until now, chuckled at his students. "You two will never determine who's better. You'll always find something else to compete over," he said, thinking of his own 'rivalry' with Gai.

"Sasuke-kun, I know you're less than thrilled about participating in this auction, but just try thinking about how good it'll be for the village. It's just a couple of dates, how bad could it be?" Sakura said, trying to cheer Sasuke up.

Sasuke said nothing to the pinkette, instead simply opting to continue looking straight ahead with a sour look on his face.

Sakura sighed to herself. Yes, she was trying to cheer Sasuke up, but she was also trying to cheer herself up as well. The pinkette had been dreading this auction ever since she'd first found out about it in Tsunade's office. Sakura immediately said she'd never be a part of such a thing, but now she wasn't so sure. The thought of some random girl winning Sasuke drove her crazy, as much as she'd like to deny it. She'd been trying to get over Sasuke recently, but she was beginning to come to the realization that it was impossible. After all of this time, after all that Sasuke did, she still loved him.

Kakashi noticed the pinkette looking down and deep in thought, and he was pretty sure he knew the direction her thoughts were going. He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him in surprise. Kakashi gave her a smile, his eye crinkling. No words were needed, Sakura knew that he was trying to reassure her. She gave her sensei a grateful smile in return.

The group finally stopped at a small café, as Naruto wanted food and the rest of the group was getting hungry as well. After everyone ordered their food, they sat and enjoyed some tea while they waited.

"It's hard to believe the festival is seriously happening tomorrow. The time has gone by so fast! Hinata-chan, you promise to outbid everyone, right!?" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata smiled and nodded at the blond, a blush adorning her cheeks. "I promise, Naruto-kun. I'll definitely o-outbid everyone!" she said.

"Okay, good! It's your duty as a girlfriend to outbid all of those ugly hags for me!"

"NARUTO!" Sakura screeched, punching the blond in the arm **hard. **

"OW! Sakura-chan, that hurt!" Naruto pouted.

"That's no way to talk, you idiot!" Sakura growled.

"Um, Sakura-chan? Naruto? People are staring," Kakashi said.

The teens looked around them to see every pair of eyes in the café staring at them. Some were looks of disgust, and others were looks of amusement. Sakura felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hahaha! E-Eh, nothing to see here!" Sakura chuckled nervously, patting Naruto's arm and looking away in embarrassment.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile slightly, finding the pinkette's embarrassment slightly amusing. Of course, it was always fun watching his moron of a best friend get beat up as well.

"You two keep that up, and you'll get us all thrown out," the raven said.

"Heh, sorry, Sasuke-kun. I guess I got carried away," Sakura said softly.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Sasuke replied seriously, not quite knowing where that came from.

An awkward silence suddenly overtook the table, with Sasuke and Sakura glancing at each other momentarily and then looking away. Ever since the raven had returned to the village, there'd been tension between the teens. Though everything seemed okay on the surface, everyone knew differently. The raven and the pinkette had never actually talked about everything that had happened between them, both simply opting to pretend it never happened. Because of that, the two tended to avoid each other when possible, neither feeling very comfortable around the other.

The awkward silence was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

The group looked up to see none other than Sai and Yamato by their table, the latter smiling and giving a wave.

"Fancy running into you all here," Yamato greeted.

"Hey there, you two!" Naruto replied.

The team made room so that the two newcomers could sit down with them. Sai gave a smile and nodded at the group in greeting. "Hi there, dickless. Hello, boobalicious," he said, looking straight at the Hyuga heiress.

Sasuke promptly choked on his tea. Hinata let out a horrified gasp, her arms flying to her chest in an attempt to cover herself. Even though she wore modest clothing, it was obvious that she was very well endowed. She blushed as red as a tomato, not knowing what to say.

"HEY! That's my girlfriend you're talking about, you asshole!" Naruto yelled, incredibly pissed off.

"I swear, if we weren't in this café right now I'd kick your ass into next week!" Sakura scolded.

"Calm down, ugly. It seems like you're jealous because boobalicious is well endowed while all you have are mosquito bites," Sai replied.

"Sai, that's enough! Show some respect," Yamato chimed in, trying to diffuse the situation before Sakura killed somebody.

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't believe Sai had been his replacement in Team 7. He was obviously awkward and had no idea how to act around others. Sasuke had never liked the guy, not one bit. He refused to admit that part of the reason was jealousy.

Sakura growled and attempted to reel in her temper, muttering something that sounded like "fucking pig" under her breath.

Naruto turned toward his blushing girlfriend and put an arm around her, attempting to cheer her up. "It's okay, Hinata-chan. Don't let Sai bother you. Your boobs are perfect!"

Hinata gasped and her blush increased tenfold, ducking her head into Naruto's chest in embarrassment.

Sasuke couldn't help but face palm. "You goddamn _idiot,_" he muttered.

"What'd I say?" Naruto asked.

"_Anyway, _I think it's impressive how you're actually participating in this auction, Kakashi-senpai," Yamato said, changing the subject.

"Impressive? Why's that?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, it just doesn't seem like your kind of thing, is all. I really can't picture you dating anyone," Yamato replied.

"I really don't know how I got dragged into this whole thing. I figure if it's for the good of the village, I don't have a problem with it," Kakashi said.

It was true. Unlike his two students who did nothing but complain about the whole auction thing all of the time, Kakashi was pretty neutral to the whole thing. He had no idea how he ended up being some 'young, eligible bachelor', but he certainly wasn't complaining.

As the night came to a close, all Team 7 could think was that tomorrow would definitely be a long day.

It was the day of the festival, and last minute preparations were underway. People were putting the finishing touches on their displays and booths, and Tsunade was incredibly pleased.

"Everything looks great! If this doesn't bring our village out of debt, nothing will," Tsunade said, smirking.

"Baa-chan!"

Tsunade turned toward the voice and saw none other than a loud mouthed blond and the rest of his team approaching her. She couldn't help but smirk at the sour look on both Sasuke and Sakura's faces.

"Why, hello there. Where's Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

"Tch. You know him. He could be anywhere," Sasuke scoffed.

Tsunade sighed, hoping the jounin wouldn't be too late. "Of course. He'll probably just show up at the last possible moment," she muttered.

"Everything looks great, baa-chan! A lot of work sure has gone into preparing for this," Naruto said.

"It sure has," Tsunade replied, before turning to her pink haired student with a smirk.

Sakura eyed the hokage, wondering what she was thinking. Surely it wasn't anything good.

"Sakura, I'm glad you decided to show up. I thought you wanted no part of todays festivities," Tsunade said.

The pinkette frowned and looked away, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. To be honest, she was ashamed of herself. She'd promised herself that she'd have no part in the festival whatsoever, but Sakura just couldn't help herself. She had to be there, so she came up with the perfect excuse. However, she'd be damned if she actually bid on anyone. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. She looked back at her master with defiance.

"Please don't get any ideas, Tsunade-sama. I'm only here to help out with the medical tent. You know, in case anyone gets hurt," Sakura said.

"That's very kind of you, especially since we have more than enough medical personnel on hand," Tsunade smirked.

"Someone called in sick," Sakura replied, a little too quickly.

The hokage's smirk widened. "Really now? Who called in?"

Just when Sakura thought she was totally busted, a familiar voice rang through the air.

"Naruto, it's nice to see you again!"

Tsunade and Team 7 turned toward the voice to see none other than Gaara and his siblings approaching. Naruto grinned wide and ran up to the kazekage, greeting him with a friendly hug.

"Hey there, Gaara! Temari, Kankuro," Naruto greeted with a smile.

"Sup, kid," Kankuro replied.

"Hello, everyone," Temari greeted respectfully.

Sakura gave a respectful bow, grateful for the siblings impeccable timing. Sasuke simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Tsunade smiled and walked up to the siblings, shaking Gaara's hand. "Welcome, everyone. I'm glad you all could make it," she said.

"Of course, we wouldn't miss it. Especially not Temari. You should have seen the look on her face once she heard about the auction," Kankuro grinned.

Temari blushed ever so slightly. "Kankuro, knock it off," she growled in warning.

The hokage chuckled at the siblings before acknowledging Gaara again. "I take it your trip here went smoothly?"

"Yes, it did. Representatives from our village, as well as the rest of the great nations are arriving," Gaara replied.

"Perfect. The rest of the kage should be arriving shortly as well. You're all more than welcome to walk around until the festivities officially begin," Tsunade smiled.

Gaara gave his own smile in return, as well as a nod. "Thank you, we're eager to look around," he said, before turning to Naruto. "You and I will have to grab a bite to eat later, Naruto."

The blond grinned and nodded at the redhead. "You bet! You guys enjoy the festival!"

With a final smile and wave, the siblings disappeared into the growing crowd to go and explore the festival. Tsunade watched with a satisfied grin, pulling out a bottle of sake from her robe and taking a swig. Sakura's eyes widened and she frowned at her master, not amused whatsoever. "Tsunade-sama, are you really drinking sake at a time like this?"

"What better time than at a festival?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the woman. "How professional," he muttered sarcastically.

"Pipe down, Uchiha," Tsunade barked.

Just as he was opening his mouth to retort, Sasuke spotted yet another annoying blonde from the corner of his eye. The raven took a deep breath, trying to reel in his irritation. "Great. There's another one," he growled.

Before anyone could ask what the Uchiha meant, a loud feminine voice rang out. "Tsunade-samaaaaa!"

The hokage sighed and turned toward the girl, knowing where this was heading. "What is it this time, Ino?"

The girl came to a halt in front of the hokage, giving a deep bow. "Tsunade-sama, _please _let me lead the auction!"

Sakura frowned at her friend with disapproval. "Ino, this is the fifth time you've asked Tsunade-sama about that. Why can't you take no for an answer?"

"I can't take no for an answer because these bachelors are _hot!_" she said, before she glanced at Naruto. "Except for you."

"Hey! What do you know!?" Naruto yelled.

"Why are you mad? You have a girlfriend, dobe," Sasuke scoffed.

"Just because I have a girlfriend doesn't mean I can't get insulted when someone tells me I'm not attractive! I mean, come on! I'm way hotter than _you, _teme!"

"Are you seriously going to argue over something so petty, you idiot?"

"Shut the hell up, both of you!" Tsunade boomed.

"But baa-chan-"

"No buts!" Tsunade yelled, growing very irritated.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Not wanting to deal with Ino's nagging anymore, the hokage decided to relent and let the young girl have her way.

"Alright, fine. I'll let you assist me with today's festivities, and host the auction. But no funny business, got it?" Tsunade relented.

Ino let out a happy squeal, and started bouncing up and down like an excited child. Without thinking, she gave the older woman a big hug, ecstatic. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama! I won't let you down, I promise! This is going to be so much fun," she gushed, letting go of Tsunade.

At that moment, Shizune came up to the group, greeting them with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Tsunade-sama, but the rest of the kage have arrived," she said.

"Not a problem, Shizune. Thank you for letting me know. Please escort them to the town center, where the auction will be taking place. I will meet you all there shortly," Tsunade replied.

The brunette gave a nod, and hurriedly left to meet the kage. Tsunade turned toward Team 7, and was ready to get the show on the road.

"Alright Naruto, Sasuke. The auction is set to begin in about an hour. You two are coming with me. It's time for you to get ready," Tsunade instructed.

Sasuke sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "Fine. Let's just hurry up and get this over with already," he muttered.

Naruto on the other hand wasn't very worried whatsoever. Hinata had assured him that no matter what happened, she would definitely be the highest bidder. If anything, he was excited that he'd get to show off what an amazing girlfriend he had. "Don't be so down, teme. I'm sure a really nice girl will be your highest bidder. It won't be bad at all!" he said.

"You are so full of shit," Sasuke deadpanned.

"I know, aren't I?" Naruto grinned.

Sakura simply shook her head at her teammates. No matter where they were or what they were doing, Sasuke and Naruto always found _something _to bicker about. She loved her boys, but sometimes she just wanted to clock both of them in the face. Especially now, when she was busy having an internal crisis over the damn auction. It was going to be torture, being forced to watch Sasuke be auctioned off like some piece of meat.

'_No matter what happens, I will not bid on Sasuke-kun. No way, no how. I'm not bidding on anyone. If some other girl wins Sasuke-kun, that's fine by me. I won't bat an eye,' _Sakura thought, trying to convince herself she didn't care.

The pinkette sighed and put on a fake smile, looking straight at her teammates. "Well, I should be heading to the medical tent now. Try having fun, you two. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think, Sasuke-kun," she said. She sounded as if she was trying to reassure Sasuke, and she was. However, she was also trying to reassure herself.

Without another word, Sakura turned on her heel and took her leave. Her teammates and Tsunade simply watched her retreating back, not knowing what to say or do. She made her way to the medical tent and didn't look back.

"I _am not _wearing that."

"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun! Don't be a party pooper," Ino pleaded, holding up a suit.

"It's a stupid idea, and you should feel stupid," Sasuke growled.

"If I may interject, traitor, I think that wearing matching suits is a good idea," Sai chimed in.

"**Bite me."**

"Why would I bite you? I didn't know you were into that sort of thing, traitor. Perhaps the rumors are true after all-"

"Will you shut the fuck up?" Sasuke snapped, incredibly irritated.

"Sasuke-teme, baa-chan said that Ino-chan is in charge so we need to listen to her, whether we like it or not," Naruto said.

"This whole thing is so troublesome. Why did I agree to this, again?" Shikamaru complained.

Ino sighed and shook her head at the boys. "You agreed to it because it's an official mission from the hokage herself! And as part of this mission, you boys need to do what I tell you! Now put on these suits, damn it!"

Kiba smirked at the blonde, enjoying watching her get upset. "Now, now. No need to get feisty. I'm not really a suit and tie kind of guy," he said.

"Too bad, Inuzuka. You're listening whether you like it or not!" she screeched.

"What if I don't want to?" Kiba challenged.

"Then I'll just have to strip you guys down myself!"

Before anyone had time to react, the feisty girl lunged toward the Inuzuka, trying to rip his clothes off and forcibly put the suit on him.

"Damn, girl. At least take me out to dinner first!" Kiba smirked, not really trying to resist.

Sasuke couldn't believe the sight in front of him. Was Ino really trying to strip Kiba down in front of everyone? Was she really planning on doing that to all of them? Did she have no shame?

'_I can't believe I actually graduated with these idiots,' _Sasuke thought.

"Hey, guys. I just thought of something. Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, making Ino and Kiba stop what they were doing. Sasuke was actually grateful to hear Naruto speak for once.

"Why are you asking a stupid question like that? He's probably in a bush somewhere reading his trashy book," Sasuke muttered.

"Well, he better get here soon. The auction is starting in less than half an hour," Shikamaru said.

"Crap, we don't have much time at all! Come on, guys! Strip or I'm stripping you guys myself!" Ino yelled.

The boys sighed and eventually just gave in, agreeing to wear the suits. After taking the suits from Ino, she left the room and left them to change, a satisfied grin on her face.

Sakura sat inside of the medical tent, which was located just off to the side of the stage where the auction was to take place. The pinkette sighed to herself, less than thrilled with having to sit through the whole thing. Technically, she didn't have to. It was her own fault she was there, she didn't _have _to come. But she just couldn't help herself.

'_I must be some sort of masochist,' _she thought.

The nurses around her were chattering away about how excited they were to see the bachelors and how hot they must be, but Sakura just blocked them out. She took in the sights around her, watching the growing crowd gather around the stage. She saw the kage front and center, and saw some familiar faces among the crowd, one of them being Hinata. Sakura smiled to herself, happy that at least Naruto would have a nice girl to bid on him.

She turned her attention to the pretty booths and decorations lining the streets of downtown, and smiled wider as the scent of yummy sweets wafted through the air. Sakura just kept telling herself that if nothing else, the festival was sure to bring in a lot of money for the village, and bring them out of debt. She was already shocked at how many people were in attendance. She'd expected a large turnout, but this was incredible. Maybe it was a good thing she came, after all. More people meant more of a chance for injuries of some sort. It was then that Sakura decided that she would do nothing but focus her energy on staying positive and working on any patients that came her way.

The pinkette was broken from her thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice.

Tsunade stood center stage, holding a microphone up to her lips with a smirk on her face. "Hello there, everyone. Thank you very much for coming to our festival. We hope that your trip here was a good one, and we hope that you have a great time during your stay. To kick off the festivities, we'll be holding an auction. Without further ado, I present your host, Ino Yamanaka," she announced, as Ino walked up on stage.

The audience applauded as Ino took the microphone from the hokage with a smile. Ino wore a sleeveless purple dress that went to her mid-thigh, with a lot of sparkles. Her hair was in an elaborate braid, and she wore light makeup and flashy jewelry.

'_That is so Ino…' _Sakura thought, as she watched the events unfolding.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon! I'm Ino Yamanaka, and I'll be your host! Who's ready to meet Konoha's most eligible bachelors?"

The crowd erupted with applause, as well as some hoots, hollers, and cat calls.

"I'll take that as an affirmative! Alright then, come on out, boys!"

One by one, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sai, Naruto, and Sasuke walked on stage, all wearing matching suits. Ino gulped when she realized that Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Just as the blonde was getting nervous, said jounin appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sorry I'm late, I was rescuing a cat from a tree," he said.

The crowd simply stared in silence and Ino laughed nervously. "Heh, isn't he great, ladies and gents? Just stand next to Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei," Ino instructed, trying to hide her irritation at the tardy man. Sakura had to resist the urge to face palm.

Turning back to the crowd, Ino continued. "Alright, folks! We'll be calling our bachelors up to center stage one by one, and everyone will have the opportunity to bid! The highest bidder will be the winner! Is everyone ready?"

Once again, the crowd erupted in cheers, and Tsunade watched it all unfold with a grin on her face. This would be good.

"Alright, then I declare this auction open! Let's get started!"

Sakura watched from the medical tent, and gulped.

This was it. It was time to begin the auction.

* * *

**Well, it looks like the auction is officially underway! Who will win Sasuke? What crazy things will happen? We'll find out in chapter three! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please leave a review and follow this story! Until next time!**


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